The Norwood News had a good year at the statewide Better Newspaper Contest awards ceremony, picking up eight awards for its coverage of the Bronx last year.

Among the big awards was the Thomas G. Butson Award for In-Depth Reporting, where editor-in-chief David Cruz placed third in a widely competitive category.

“Thorough reporting,” read the judge’s comments on the story examining the complexities behind affordable housing in New York City, and the repercussions. The series, dubbed “Housing Matters,” was made possible through a fellowship with the Marguerite Casey Foundation.

Other awards included a second place prize for Feature Story, which looked at the relationship between housing and mental health.

The News’ rotating crew of interns and freelancers also earned several awards. Joseph Konig and David Greene shared in the second place prize for Coverage of Local Government for their coverage on the Nov. 15 snowstorm that crippled the city. Greene and Cruz were also honored with an Honorable Mention award for Spot News coverage on a series of fires that swept through the Bronx during the winter of 2017-18.

Meantime, an Honorable Mention prize was given to the paper in the News Story category covering the aftermath of the Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz killing. Prize went to Cruz, Angel Mindanao, Christy Rae Ammons, Sophia Ebanks, and Jose A. Giralt. Judges said, “While the lede is the attention-grabber, the entire story maintains intensity. Nice reporting throughout.”

Adi Talwar, a seasoned photographer, earned a second place prize for Feature Photo that showcased a child running through the newly opened Whalen Park.

Other honors include a third place prizes for Editorials and Coverage of Crime/Police/Courts, which went to Cruz, Greene, and Martika Ornella.

“We are so proud of the work that we published last year,” said Cruz. “We will continue putting out copy that is thought-provoking, in-depth, and a true benefit for the community.”

The awards were presented by the New York Press Association in Albany, New York.

Cruz was also named a finalist for the Deadline Club for his “Housing Matters” series that published in March 2018.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.